Romancing the Tome

The Chrysanthemum Palace

2009-12-01T10:43:00.001-08:00

Just finished Bruce Wagner's Great Gatsby-esque L.A. novel about children of the rich and famous. The book also stars Chateau Marmont, Shutters, and Chez Jay with appearances by Sharon Stone and Jeff Goldblum, among others. The events are parsed for the reader by narrator Bertie Krohn, the scion of a Hollywood producer who created Starwatch, a popular Star Trek-like T.V. show that boasts a cult following. Bertie is wry, self-aware, and sometimes catty as he unveils the story of a harrowing few weeks spent with his lifelong friend Clea Freemantle and her paramour Thad Michelet. All three are shadowboxing with their emotional inheritance and although the tale is tragic, it has some very funny moments, particularly on the set of the fictional space opera. If I were casting an adaptation of the film, I might consider Jason Schwartzman for the part of Bertie. I'm still pondering who would portray the 54 year-old thespian Thad Michelet, son of a Booker prize-winning novelist with a vicious temperament. Perhaps Clea could be played by Winona Ryder, with Sofia Coppola directing. --Kim

Louisa May Alcott, The Movie

2009-11-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

PBS will air Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women on December 28. It would be hard to make a boring film about the woman--After all, she spent time on a commune as a child, was tutored by some very well-known contemporaries, and served as an army nurse during the civil war. That's only the beginning... Can't wait to see this biopic which Elle, Vogue, and The Wall Street Journal have lauded. --Kim

Whereabouts: Ioan Gruffudd

2009-11-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

Decided to check up on what our favorite sailor in the British navy (a.k.a. Horatio Hornblower) is up to these days and was happy to learn he's starring in a biopic of The Wind in the Willows author, Kenneth Grahame. Banking on Mr. Toad also stars Samantha Morton (I LOVE her) as the author's wife, Elspeth, and explores the couple's relationship with their autistic son as well as Grahame's time as the secretary of the Bank of England.

In other Gruffudd news, he and wife Alice Evans welcomed daughter Ella to the world in early September after 40 hours of labor. (FORTY HOURS? Yikes, but congrats!) That picture, by the way, is cuteness personified.

C'mon, Get "Happy"

2009-11-19T01:23:00.000-08:00

"Joy to the World?" Easier said than done. But if you want to REALLY spread glad tidings, good will toward men (and women), and holiday cheer, wrap up some copies of The Happy Book for friends and family this year.

Written by Meg Leder and Rachel Kempster, this charmingly quirky interactive guide is aimed at helping you suss out the secrets to your own personal bliss by prompting you keep a tally of things (both mundane and mind-blowing) that put a smile on your face: In my case, this might include a cold rainy day curled on the couch watching the Ehle/Firth "Pride & Prejudice" miniseries, preferably with fireplace lit; consuming dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa) or bacon; Bollywood dance lessons; "Masterpiece: Classics;" a fruitful trip to the local library; a husband who vacuums without prompting; the merchandise at Anthropologie; laughing so hard my stomach actually physically hurts; the imminent arrival of my baby daughter; raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens....you get the idea.

Unlike "The Secret," which encourages you to greedily make lists of things that you WANT (Shut it, Oprah), The Happy Book reminds you of all the wonderful things you already have to feel grateful for. That's something we ought to be doing way more often than just the fourth Thursday in November, yes?

Austen Truths "Universally Acknowledged"

2009-11-19T01:08:00.000-08:00

What do Somerset Maugham, Virginia Woolf, and C.S. Lewis think about Jane Austen's novels? Find out in Susannah Carson's newly published anthology, A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen.

Here's the product description from Amazon:
For so many of us a Jane Austen novel is much more than the epitome of a great read. It is a delight and a solace, a challenge and a reward, and perhaps even an obsession. For two centuries Austen has enthralled readers. Few other authors can claim as many fans or as much devotion. So why are we so fascinated with her novels? What is it about her prose that has made Jane Austen so universally beloved?

In essays culled from the last one hundred years of criticism juxtaposed with new pieces by some of today’s most popular novelists and essayists, Jane Austen’s writing is examined and discussed, from her witty dialogue to the arc and sweep of her story lines. Great authors and literary critics of the past offer insights into the timelessness of her moral truths while highlighting the unique confines of the society in which she composed her novels. Virginia Woolf examines Austen’s maturation as an artist and speculates on how her writing would have changed if she’d lived twenty more years, while C. S. Lewis celebrates Austen’s mirthful, ironic take on traditional values.

Modern voices celebrate Austen’s amazing legacy with an equal amount of eloquence and enthusiasm. Fay Weldon reads Mansfield Park as an interpretation of Austen’s own struggle to be as “good” as Fanny Price. Anna Quindlen examines the enduring issues of social pressure and gender politics that make Pride and Prejudice as vital today as ever. Alain de Botton praises Mansfield Park for the way it turns Austen’s societal hierarchy on its head. Amy Bloom finds parallels between the world of Persuasion and Austen’s own life. And Amy Heckerling reveals how she transformed the characters of Emma into denizens of 1990s Beverly Hills for her comedy Clueless. From Harold Bloom to Martin Amis, Somerset Maugham to Jay McInerney, Eudora Welty to Margot Livesey, each writer here reflects on Austen’s place in both the literary canon and our cultural imagination.

We read, and then reread, our favorite Austen novels to connect with both her world and our own. Because, as A Truth Universally Acknowledged so eloquently demonstrates, the only thing better than reading a Jane Austen novel is finding in our own lives her humor, emotion, and love.

Here's an adapted excerpt from James Collins that ran in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week.

Easy Virtue

2009-11-10T01:18:00.001-08:00

If you blinked, you probably missed seeing this whimsical adaptation of a Noel Coward play when it was in theaters. Kim and I watched it this weekend on On Demand and thoroughly enjoyed being transported back to the era of the Lost Generation with the likes of Kristin Scott Thomas, Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes and an always-scrumptuous Colin Firth.

The premise: Stodgy British family with dysfunction as sizable as their sprawling estate grudgingly welcomes their spirited, scandalous siren of a daughter-in-law to the fold when prodigal son (Barnes) returns married to a gorgeous American race car driver (Biel).

What we loved: Firth and Thomas were naturally top-notch, and Jessica Biel managed to hold her own as the quirky-but-beautiful fish out of water. Her clothes alone are worth moving this one to the top of your Netflix queue. We also got a kick out of the soundtrack, which re-spun modern pop songs like Tom Jones' "Sex Bomb" and Billy Ocean's "When the Going Gets Tough" as breezy 1920s jazz tunes. Too clever.

"Errrllll Cannnnn!"

2009-11-10T00:53:00.000-08:00

Like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz finally getting de-rustified with a little help from Dorothy, Kim and I are determined to blog here again on a regular basis after a brief hiatus called life.

Maybe our kick in the pants was spurned on by recently partaking of afternoon tea at the High Tea Cottage in Woodland Hills. It's an unassuming little house off Ventura Blvd. and while it perhaps suffers from a bit of the teddy-bear-and-doily effect, we were pleasantly surprised by the proprietess's insanely thorough offerings of loose-leaf tea. We thought we'd died and gone to heaven when a rolling cart packed with tea varieties was brought to our table, from which we could smell any variety that piqued our interest before settling on our order. From fruity to chocolate-flavored and with names like Crime of Passion and Bourbon Street Vanilla, it was hard to narrow down our options. Kim chose a marzipan-flavor while I opted for the decisively caramel Mocha Rocca. Both were equally unique and amazing. Getting to smell the teas in their little jars ahead of time was a major plus and made the whole experience feel a bit like wine-tasting or hanging out at a perfume counter sampling the wares. I only wish there'd been time to try more.

After devouring our tea sandwiches, the rolling cart returned. This time we got to choose from several different jams to accompany fresh-from-the-oven apple-cinnamon scones. By the time we finished our assortment of decadent desserts, we were in a sugar coma and thankful that we'd chosen decaf teas. If you live in the L.A. area and enjoy afternoon tea, this place is worth the pilgrimage.

Jane Campion on The Treatment

2009-11-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

Excellent interview with director Jane Campion about her stunningly gorgeous new film Bright Star on KCRW's The Treatment.

Wolf Hall

2009-10-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the incredible staff at Skylight Books I was able to obtain a copy of Wolf Hall a couple weeks ago (hard to get at the time since it had just won the Booker Prize). The tale of Henry VIII's pursuit of Anne Boleyn come hell or high water drives the plot, but it's the ambition and inventiveness of Hilary Mantel's narrator Thomas Cromwell that make the story so compelling. She portrays him as surprisingly enlightened and, for all his power, equally beloved and feared. While I was reading I found myself picturing Jeremy Northam as Cromwell--He actually plays Cromwell's nemesis Sir Thomas More to James Frain's Cromwell in Showtime's The Tudors. --Kim

Keats & Fanny

2009-08-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

Who among us can resist the allure of a (literally) incurable romantic, sighing deep sighs from his deathbed overlooking the Spanish Steps as he coughs up blood and ponders what might have been with his one true love?

It's been an uninspired moviegoing summer here at Romancing the Tome, but things are looking up for Fall, particularly with Jane Campion's forthcoming biopic of the love story between sickly poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his darling Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Bright Star will premiere October 18. (It was a hit at Cannes this spring, so that's encouraging.)

Check out the trailer and start stocking up on Kleenex:

F.Y.I., if you're in the neighborhood of London, you can check out the newly restored Regency House where Keats lived (and from whence he swooned over Fanny).

Dream Casting: Alive In Necropolis

2009-07-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

Officer Mike Mercer is a confused young cop with a Colma beat (pop. living: 1,200 pop. dead: 2 million) whose life is spiraling out of control. Then he starts seeing ghosts. Author Doug Dorst keeps the plot zipping along without sacrificing character and there's something here that feels coming of age, in a good way. It's the sort of coming of age familiar to us Gen X and Yers who are forever hovering over the line between childhood and adulthood--just like Colma's ghosts hover between this world and the next.

Alive In Necropolis certainly has what it takes to cross over into film: cops, ghosts, drug overdoses, car crashes, romance, and for a backdrop, the haunting streets of San Francisco. My casting picks: Casey Affleck, James McAvoy, or Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Michael Mercer, Giovanni Ribisi as "Doc" Barker, Ryan Gosling as optimistic aviator Lincoln Beachey, Peter Sarsgaard as Toronto, Jesse Eisenberg as Jude, and Lili Taylor as Fiona. Read it and let us know what you think. --Kim

Quiz: Think You Know Your Shakespearean Phrases?

2009-07-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Take our quiz and match the phrase with the correct play.

Victorian Cemeteries & Drood

2009-07-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

I began Dan Simmons' Drood in earnest this afternoon after a false start a couple of weeks ago. There's a description of Dickens' era London cemeteries during one particularly stifling summer--you can almost smell the vile stench wafting from the pages. Le Monde diplomatique's article on the history of the Victorian's "see and be seen" cemetery Highgate made a nice companion read for the day. More on Drood to come. --Kim

It's a Mad, Mad World

2009-07-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Vanity Fair has some great pics of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen of Hearts and Mia Wasikowska as Alice in Tim Burton's highly-anticipated (at least, by us) 3-D version of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland! I barely recognize Johnny Depp in this picture, but that's probably a good thing...I was worried he'd look exactly like he did when he played Willy Wonka.

The Time Traveler's Wife Trailer

2009-07-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

Nicki Richesin alerted me to the new trailer for the adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife, starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. It seems to be in the spirit of The Notebook. Is that good or bad? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. --Kim

Ma "Cheri" Amor

2009-06-08T09:31:00.001-07:00

This looks so up our alley. Even if it sucks, I'm all about Michelle Pfeiffer's dresses in this trailer. Kathy Bates gives it some street cred, and Rupert Friend lends the sex appeal.

Pancks Resurfaces In Action-Packed Sherlock Holmes Trailer

2009-05-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

Watch the new Sherlock Holmes trailer to see Robert Downey Jr. (brilliant casting!) as Holmes, Jude Law as Watson, and Rachel McAdams as the token love interest in action. And by action, I mean explosions, fist fights, and leaping from tall buildings. Hopefully the movie is more cerebral than it appears here, but either way, I can't wait to find out. Also, watch for a Pancks (Eddie Marson/Little Dorrit) cameo! --KIM

The Hobart Shakespeareans

2009-05-18T15:29:00.001-07:00

Want to make a couple of English majors cry? Sit them down in front of this documentary about an inspiring teacher, Rafe Esquith, (think Robin Williams in Dead Poets) who teaches inner city Los Angeles school children how to get completely geeked-out about Shakespeare. Kim and I Netflixed this movie last week and went immediately bonkers watching 9-and-10-year-olds (many of whom speak English as a second language) perform Hamlet while slack-jawed Shakespearean actors like Ian McKellan and Michael York got all teary-eyed. Their end-of-the-year performance of Hamlet was awesome, but you'll also lose it watching them read Huck Finn in class and watching them say their end-of-year adieus when Rafe sends them on their way with words of wisdom they will remember for the rest of their life.

Learn more about this phenomenal teacher's program here.

Watch the trailer....

Keanu to Star in New Jekyll and Hyde

2009-05-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

Keanu Reeves is set to star in a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I have to admit that I am an unabashed fan of Keanu in the right role, but his wooden performance in Coppola's Dracula was one of the reasons a perfectly stunning film was spoiled for me. Maybe it's just that his style, unlike say Johnny Depp's, is out of place in a Victorian setting. Universal apparently has two adaptations of the novella in the works--the other has Guillermo del Toro directing. Details on the project here. (via @drmabuse)

Paradise Lost...Twice!

2009-04-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

As we eke out the last day of National Poetry Month, The Hollywood Reporter says that at least one classic poem is getting the film treatment...in two different versions. (Sorry, Kim, it's not The Faerie Queene or The Rape of the Lock, which I'd actually much rather see)...Instead, it's John Milton's Paradise Lost. Two unknown actors, David Dunham and Patricia Li Bryan have been cast as Adam and Eve in the indie version from Granite Entertainment and STV Networks. Meanwhile, Legendary Pictures is also supposed to be doing a big-budget version of the famous verses with a project they're calling "Paradise." Not sure we need two, frankly, but maybe the indie version will put an interesting new spin on things.

BECAUSE I LOVE HER Contest Winner

2009-04-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Who do you love? We love Liz (of the fab blog Today's Special)! She will receive a copy of the Because I Love Her anthology, edited by Nicki Richesin and featuring essays by a host of wonderful writers, including Karen Joy Fowler, Joyce Maynard, and Jacquelyn Mitchard. Read Liz's entry and the other great entries here. --Kim

Giveaway: Win a Copy of the "Because I Love Her" Anthology

2009-04-22T19:44:00.001-07:00

Just in time for Mother's Day we're giving away a copy of Nicki Richesin's new anthology Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond. The collection features thought-provoking essays by Karen Joy Fowler, Joyce Maynard, and Jacquelyn Mitchard, among many other talented contributors.

To enter, simply comment and answer the question: Who is your favorite mother in literature? To get it started, Nicki, Amy, and I will share our picks. We'll choose our favorite comment by end of day Monday the 27th so we can ship you the book in time for Mother's Day.

Rumer Godden
When considering mothers in literature, the most obvious choice for Mother Superior seems to be Marmee from Little Women. She was devoted, loving, and let’s face it, too perfect. The past few years, I’ve been inspired by the work of Rume r Godden. I’ve particularly enjoyed her memoirs in which she movingly recounts her adventures living alone with her daughters Jane and Paula in Kashmir. She writes beautifully of growing her own food and creating a rich life with very little money. I couldn’t resist jotting down notes from her books like how to be happy when you are miserable: she suggests planting Japanese poppies with cornflowers and having Jane paint a really good picture. What I found most incredible is that she was able to write many, many books, care for her daughters, and live a life on her own terms during the forties and fifties. Ms. Godden was truly a woman ahead of her time. I highly recommend her memoirs A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep and A House With Four Rooms. --Nicki

***

Ma Joad
The most famous mothers in literature aren’t always the good ones: Anna Karenina, Daisy Buchanan, Edna Pontellier, Becky Sharpe... Truth be told, these depictions of motherhood are generally more intriguing than the sugary-sweet variety that’s usually a default in too many classic novels. But these desperate economic times call for a desperate economic Mama, so I’m selecting Ma Joad from Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath as the most stalwart and determined of matriarchs in seriously tragic circumstances. As the backbone of her clan, she calmly and selflessly keeps the family together during their harrowing and humiliating struggles for survival, always restoring order and somehow managing to whip up a skillet of biscuits out of seemingly thin air to feed her family. Sometimes you just do what you’ve got to do to make it through, and while I might not go so far as young Rose of Sharon’s breastfeeding feat at the end of the saga, the women in The Grapes of Wrath are a testament to those women everywhere who know the true meaning of sacrificial love. --Amy

***

Gertrude
While good mothers do exist in fiction, it's the wicked mammas that make for the best stories. After all, what would Beowulf be without Grendel's vengeful mother and Snow White without the wicked stepmother? But the queen of all notorious mothers has to be Gertrude, for without her Hamlet and his oedipal frustration wouldn't exist. She married Claudius too quickly after the death of her husband (and possibly had an adulterous relationship with Claudius before Hamlet's father was murdered). However, when Hamlet violently accuses Gertrude, her response reveals she's more complex than a one-dimensional femme fatale:

O Hamlet, speak no more:

Thou turn'st my very eyes into my soul,

And there I see such black and grained spots

As will not leave their tinct (III.iv.88-91)

...O speak to me no more;

these words like daggars enter my ears;

No more, sweet Hamlet!

By the time her lips touch the poisoned goblet during the play's tragic conclusion, she's become human and pitiable. --Kim

Historical Reality TV Poll

2009-04-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since they did another installment of those PBS series where they take ordinary people and plop them down into another era for a few weeks. "1900 House," (who can forget the darling Bowler family?) "1940 House," "Colonial House," "Regency House," "Frontier House"... Maybe they're running out of ideas? Which historical era would you like to see next? (Or, if you have a better idea, let us know in Comments.)

Which "house" would you like to see next?(online surveys)

Russell Goes Medieval

2009-04-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

USA Today has a photo of Russell Crowe all bad-assed out on the set of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, and I have to say, the ol' chap is looking good! I don't know what all that fuss was about him being too corpulent for the role. He strikes quite a dashing figure in this picture (and R.C. doesn't usually break into my Top Ten Sexpots of All Time list, either....but that's for another post.) This is definitely more "Gladiator" Russell than "State of Play" Russell, praise be to Jesus.

In Fair Chicago Where We Lay Our Scene

2009-04-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

I had to double check that it wasn't actually April 1st when I read this blurb: In honor of Shakespeare's supposed birthday (Thursday), Mayor Richard M. Daly has proclaimed the day "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" in the city.